Latest: Apple committed to €850m data centre in Galway, says Government

Latest: Fine Gael have confirmed that Apple remains committed to its €850m data centre investment in Co Galway.

Latest: Apple committed to €850m data centre in Galway, says Government

Update 7pm: Fine Gael have confirmed that Apple remains committed to its €850m data centre investment in Co Galway.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with Apple executives last week to confirm the future of the development in Athenry.

Apple were given the go-ahead for the project in February 2015, but construction has been delayed due to an ongoing legal case taken by three objectors.

A similar facility in Denmark was approved on the same day, and has now been completed.

Apple has since revealed plans for a second data centre in Denmark.

The Taoiseach confirmed that the government is examining potential changes to the Strategic Infrastructure Act to ensure that our planning and legal system works more efficiently when dealing with applications of this nature.

Earlier:

Update 12.38pm: The government has denied that Apple has threatened to pull out of building its Athenry data centre due to planning delays.

The €850m facility was originally given the go-ahead in February 2015 but has been held up by objections.

It was reported earlier that the tech giant is prepared to walk away if there was no progress soon.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Ciaran Cannon told Galway Bay FM that Apple has not been in contact with the government:

"It's based on supposed comments from unidentified, unnamed sources," he said.

"Of course I'm calling into question the validity of this report and the validity of the assertion that Apple executives are somehow in contact with the Irish Government - they aren't - and somehow concerned with the ongoing delay I'm sure they are concerned.

"There's no question about that - we're all concerned," he added.

Earlier:There are fears that Apple could pull out of building its data centre in Athenry due to planning delays.

The plans for the €850,000,000 campus were originally revealed in February 2015 but have faced opposition since.

A decision on whether to allow the building to proceed or to refer it back to the planning process is expected within weeks.

According to Bloomberg, Apple executives have told the government that they are prepared to pull out if delays continue.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

FILE PHOTO The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cleared the purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers by AIB END Goodbody Stockbrokers fined over €1.2m by Central Bank over rules breaches
Nottingham City Centre Stock Irish staff at the Body Shop wait for wages as retailer shuts stores in the Republic
Ryanair comments on Norwegian Ryanair boss O'Leary's spat with Transport Minister over Dublin Airport escalates
IE logo
Devices


UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE IRISH EXAMINER FOR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS
FIND OUT MORE

The Business Hub
Newsletter

News and analysis on business, money and jobs from Munster and beyond by our expert team of business writers.

Sign up
ie logo
Puzzles Logo

Play digital puzzles like crosswords, sudoku and a variety of word games including the popular Word Wheel

Lunchtime News
Newsletter

Keep up with the stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited